Ruins of Adventure
Aglarond
Base Requirements
- Races: Human, Elf, Half-Elf, Hengeyokai
- Classes: Any Warrior, Mage, or Rogue (see below)
- Ability Requirements: No ability score below 9
- Alignments: Any Good
- Starting Cash: By class
- Bonus Languages: Aglarondan, Espruar
- Recommended Languages: Easting, Telpi, Rasallesian, Allesian, Imaskari, Gurri, Thayan
Proficiencies
- Weapon Slots: +1 slot
- Non-weapon Slots: By class
- Available Categories: By class
- Bonus Proficiencies: Blind-Fighting, Foraging, Mountaineering, Reading Lips
- Required Proficiencies: Modern Languages (any two recommended)
- Recommended Proficiencies: none
- Forbidden Proficiencies: Arcane Order
Overview: Despite its seeming unimportance, two facts about this tiny nation merit mentioning. The first, and certainly the most important in a global context, is that Aglarond acts as a buffer and keeps the perfidious Thay from gaining major access to the Sea of Fallen Stars. The second is the existence of the Simbul. There are those who say this woman is the most powerful spellcaster on Faerûn today. The few adventurers who have come out of Aglarond in recent years have all learned their magic at her hands.
No one knows how the Simbul does it, but this most unusual woman seems to be able to sense when someone with magical talent is born in her kingdom. When this happens, she treats the child as her own and oversees its growth and education. These children quickly mature into some of the most powerful spellcasters and heroes to wander the East.
Description: Adventurers from Aglarond wear clothing as befits their home region. In Eastern Aglarond, the warriors wear tunics and trousers of bright colors, all embroidered with black threads in nature-related patterns. People from the Fang, Aglarond’s western coastal peninsula, wear dark clothing that fits their dour dispositions. Western Aglarondans wear flamboyant clothing of contrasting colors, much like the typical garb of pirates. Weapons and armor types favored by all Aglarondans are similar to those used in the Western Heartlands.
They favor emeralds and other green stones in their jewelry and, for some unknown reason, they never wear anything fashioned from silver. Some say silver burns these people as it does lycanthropes, but there seems to be little real evidence for this claim.
Role-Playing: The folk of Aglarond may be few in number, but they are proud. This is not to say they are braggarts or boastful. The Simbul’s teachings stress the duty that all of her chosen students have to the country of Aglarond and its people. If they are proud of themselves, they are even prouder of the common folk who struggle through their lives without the aid of magic.
Aglarondans are alert and grim folk. They feel more at ease in nature than they do among cities and towns. In general, Aglarondans are fanatically devoted to their land. They are hard-working, raucous party-goers on their “time off,” and will brook no insult or disrespect towards their nation or the Simbul.
Special Abilities:
- The Simbul invests a great deal of time and effort in the training of her children. She is not about to let them begin wandering the world without an ample supply of knowledge.
Any Mage or Bard from Aglarond begins adventuring with a large number of magical spells in the pages of his grimoire. He automatically has access to the Apprentice’s Road, Archmage’s Road, and The Simbul’s Path, in addition to the normal starting Paths available to all spellcasters and any bonus paths determined by his Knowledge score. In addition, he automatically learns all spells from his chosen paths without needing to make a chance to learn spells roll. Whenever he gains access to a new level of spells, he automatically learns all the spells from his known paths (up the maximum number of spells allowed by their Reason score). - Because of the special training granted to Aglarond’s defenders, Elves, Half-elves, and Hengeyokai from Aglarond may become Paladins, to a maximum of 12th level.
Special Disadvantages:
- The people of Aglarond are bitter enemies of Thay, and a Thayan will not hesitate to strike at an Aglarond warrior in nearly any situation.
- The Simbul strictly controls the development of those persons capable of spellcasting within the borders of Aglarond. Given these strictures, Rangers, Paladins, and Shadow Walkers from Aglarond never gain the ability to cast spells. Likewise no Aglarondans are permitted to study priestly magic, nor may Aglarondan wizards choose to specialize in a school of magic.
- For all their power, the Simbul’s Children have some slight disadvantages. Because they are able to return to the Simbul at any time to learn new spells, the desire to investigate and harness new magical spells is almost unknown in these folk. Whenever they would gain access to a new Path (from leveling or gaining increased Intelligence) they must return to Aglarond. They cannot learn additional Paths by any other means, nor can they gain access to additional paths via Path mastery. Further, they can never research new spells or create their own magical items.
Return to Homelands.